Arizona players Jason Gardner, left, and Luke Walton listen to a question during a news conference Friday, March 15, 2002, at the Pit in Albuquerque, N.M. Arizona meets Wyoming in the second round Saturday.(AP Photo/Joe Cavaretta)

Bonn's E.J. Rowland, left, challenges for the ball against Oldenburg's Jason Gardner during the first final play off match of the German Basketball League between EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn, in Oldenburg, northern Germany, on Sunday, June 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Joerg Sarbach)

University of Memphis coach Josh Pastner has tapped into his Arizona roots again, having recommended former Wildcats star guard Jason Gardner as his choice to fill the Tigers' vacant assistant coaching position.

Though the Tennessee Board of Regents still has to approve the hire, Gardner, a native of Indianapolis and former teammate of Pastner at Arizona, is expected to become the fourth Arizona graduate that Pastner has hired as an assistant since he took over the head job at Memphis in 2009.

The others were Jack Murphy (now the head coach at Northern Arizona), Luke Walton (now playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers) and Damon Stoudamire (now an assistant at Arizona).

Gardner, 32, one of four Arizona players to have had his jersey retired, spent the last two seasons as an assistant at Loyola University Chicago. It was his first college coaching job. Before that, he spent one season as an assistant at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.

Reached Monday, both Pastner and Gardner declined to comment until the hiring becomes official, which could be as soon as this week.

Gardner was a four-year starter at Arizona from 1999-2003, becoming the school's all-time leader in games started, minutes played, games won and 3-point field goals. He was a part of a 2001 Arizona team that advanced to the national championship game and was named an Associated Press second-team All-American his senior season, when he averaged 14.8 points and 4.9 assists per game.

Gardner is Pastner's second assistant hiring this offseason and joins a Memphis staff that includes Aki Collins and Robert Kirby, whom Pastner lured from LSU in May. Kirby and Gardner replace Stoudamire and former Memphis assistant Jimmy Williams.

Much like Stoudamire, Gardner brings high-level playing experience to the Memphis bench. After his college career, he spent seven years playing overseas in Germany before electing to pursue a coaching career.

Two years ago, when he was hired at Loyola, Ramblers head coach Porter Moser told ESPNChicago.com that Gardner was highly recommended by Pastner, who after playing with Gardner during the 1999-2000 season coached him as a member of the Arizona staff.

"I think there's no question he's going to be a star in this profession," Moser said then. "As a player, he had an infectious, positive impact on any kid he was around. When I talked to (former Arizona head) coach Lute Olson and Josh Pastner, they said, ‘We've never had a player who had an impact on players like Jason Gardner did.' "